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If you don’t want to go door-to-door trick or treating this year check out these other locations for trick or treating.

My boys are so excited for Halloween this year. Maybe it’s because they’ve been cooped up indoors with their baby sister the last few weeks or maybe it’s their love of dress up, either way they ask if they can go trick or treating almost every day. If you’re kids are anything like mine one night of trick or treating won’t do. Check out the list below for many more options to get some trick or treating in!

Date: Friday, October 6th

Date: Saturday, October 7th

Trick or Treat Parade at Cornbelly’scome dressed in costume and ready to meet Princesses, the Chick-fil-A Cow and more and of course get candy. 3003 North Thanksgiving Way Lehi, UT 84043 Time: 2pm Runs every Saturday 7, 14, 21 and 28 included in price of admission $14.95 Kids Under 2 FREE

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Make this summer the best one yet with over 120 easy and free (or close to free) ideas for kids.

Summer is right around the corner; are you excited?! I sure know I am! We just got a text today saying they are opening our pool up this weekend so I’m sure we’ll be spending a good majority of our time there. But, sadly, we can’t spend all day, every day at the pool. And having a very active 3 and 4 year old I need to have as many fun plans and activities stashed away as possible to make our days run smoothly.

I know you’re probably in the same shoes so let me share with you what I’ve come up with.

Go to the library. Our local library has a Preschool Power Play and Summer Story Time every Wednesday. They also have a summer reading program where the kids can earn free toys, food and tickets to local museums. Check your local library’s website for their summer schedule.

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Create a fun game to play while waiting for the turkey to get done for free.

I don’t know if I ever mentioned it here before but I love bowling. Like used to bowl in a youth bowling tour and partially paid my way through college love bowling. It runs in my family actually; my grandpa was a professional bowler and my dad still bowls two days a week. We’ve taken my boys bowling a few times but they just don’t have the attention for it. Maybe it’s all flashing lights and music of the arcade games that distracts them; who knows. But what I do know my boys love doing is knocking things over.

That’s where the idea for turkey bowling came from. Now that they are older they get super excited for holidays; birthdays, Halloween, Christmas. Any time there is something to celebrate they wake up in the morning so excited only to be let down when they have to wait all day to celebrate. But not this holiday, this time I came prepared.

Turkey bowling combines all of our favorite things. My love of bowling, their love of knocking things over and everyone’s love of turkey. Plus, and this was my favorite part, it cost me absolutely nothing to make. I used empty green bean and peas cans, craft paint and leftover eyes from my Glow In The Dark Spider Pillow.

You’ll need 10 cans (or pins). Paint 3 cans brown, 3 red, 2 orange and 2 yellow. You will need to do at least two coats of paint on the jars and possible three on the yellow cans.

On one of the brown cans, after it is dry, use yellow paint to paint a beak and red to paint the wattle. Attach two googly eyes above the beak and you’re done. Now comes the fun part; set the pins up and knock ’em down! My boys have had so much fun “bowling” I may have to make another set so they can play at the same time.

What plans do you have to keep your family entertained on Thanksgiving Day?

Want to see what some of my friends turned “junk” into this month? Check out the rest of the November Junk Revision Challenge projects below:

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If you’re looking for the recipe for the Pumpkin Snickerdoodle cookies I shared on The PLACE you can find it here.

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Make these fun and easy witches brooms for FREE! Perfect for your Halloween Porch.

Today I’m excited to join a very talented group of ladies for the Junk Revision Challenge. The idea behind the challenge is to take items some might see as junk and turn it into something beautiful. October’s theme was Nature. Since the challenge fell on Day 3 of The 13 Frightfully Fun Days of Halloween I knew I wanted to create something a little Halloween-ey. Then I remembered these cute brooms that Amy from Canary Street Crafts made and I knew they would be perfect for our front porch. I inherited a giant ball of twine from my mother in law (like 2 ft in diameter giant) recently and have been looking for ways I could use it up wherever I can. These brooms were going to be perfect for that. Now to find the rest of the materials.

I didn’t have to look far. One Sunday when we were out to dinner at my dad’s house I noticed that the giant tree my brother and I had climbed as kids was starting to droop a little and I saw this as the perfect opportunity to get my “broom handles”. Pair that with the dead weeds and tall grass in his yard and we had our broom sticks.

Now to assemble them. Using the twine from my mother in law I wrapped the grass and weeds around the branches in a whip knot. And by I, I mean my super sweet husband who was in scouts as a kid and could tell I needed some help after 15 minutes of trying to keep the twigs attached to the branches and tie the twine at the same time. He also helped me come up with quote for the Broom Parking Only Sign I made. We make a pretty good team!

And there you have it. Aren’t they cute?! I didn’t think I was going to like the crooked branches but I actually like them even more and think it gives the brooms more character. What do you think?

What junk do you have that you have turned to treasure? And don’t forget to hop on over and see what a few of my friends did with their “junk” and elements of nature.

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Learn and have fun this summer with this FREE activity.

I’m having so much fun playing with my boys this summer and checking items off our bucket list. We’ve gone swimming, built forts and gone to a dollar movie. We’ve had a ton of fun but I wanted to make sure they were learning things too. In came bucket list item #13 Color Scavenger Hunt.

With just a few free items from the local hardware store we have been able to explore and learn for hours! I’m over at Skip To My Loutoday sharing all the details!

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A favorite Disney quote turned into a FREE Printable.

Whether you are a parent, or not, young or old, there’s no doubt that you’re a fan of at least one Disney movie. Me, there are so many that I love I can’t even count! When I was growing up it was The Lion King. But as I got older, and technology evolved, Disney started making even more and more great movies! They’re even making the next Star Wars movie which we are all pretty excited about here.

I think my favorite Disney movie now (and one of my boys’ favorites too) is Finding Nemo. I always wanted to be a marine biologist growing up and have loved sea animals since I can remember. I love the lengths that Marlin goes to to find his son and Nemo’s determination to get out of the tank. This movie has so many great messages.

By far my favorite part is when Dory and Marlin lose the goggles and Dory starts singing “Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming.” I love that quote! So as a reminder to keep going no matter what I turned it into a printable. I’m over at Creative Ramblings today sharing this FREE Printable that you can download in 3 different sizes!

What’s your favorite Disney movie?

For the best deals on Disney Vacations check out Get Away Today. Don’t forget to use code TFRUGAL to save $10!

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Show mom you know how much she loves you on Mother’s Day with this free printable.

I love quotes. They are motivating and can put feelings into words so much better than I could even imagine. Today I’m sharing one of my favorite Mom quotes over at It’s A Keeper. These are perfect to put on a card or in a frame and dress up with a bow. I created 3 different size options for you. Head on over here to check out the story behind the print and to download your copy today.

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Happy May the Fourth! As you know we are big Star Wars nerds here so we are out doing a lot of crazy fun May the Fourth activities today! I’m so excited to have my good friend Kendra from The Things I Love Most guest posting for me today. I met Kendra back in February and she has quickly become one of my best blog buddies. She is one of the kindest people I know and is also a great mom who has a ton of fun ideas for things to do with the family. Today she’ll be sharing 40 fun and FREE activities to do this summer.

Summer is finally here! I love summer time, and all the summer fun activities we like to do as a family! Having a good 2 1/2 months with my kids without as much structure as there is during the school year is the best! Although I do love a little structure and like to have a plan for our days so the kids don’t tell me they are bored.

When I think of summer I think of hiking, swimming, lots of popsicles, going to movies, going on a summer vacation, family reunions and playing with friends. It’s important to have fun during the summer. Last year I came up with a whole bunch of summer fun ideas for the kids to pick to do each day of the week! It helped motivate them to get their chores done so we could do something fun! One of our favorite things to do last year was play at the river. We went 1-2 times a week and the kids loved finding rocks, catching tadpoles and swimming with friends.

40 Free Summer Fun Activities

Craft Day – Get all your crafting supplies out and let the kids go at it making what ever they want.

Movie Night – We love having family movies nights, but if you know someone with a projector this is a fun way to do an outdoor movie night. Check out this fun post on my blog about the perfect summer outdoor movie party here.

Family Party Night -Pick a theme and go with it!

Go Camping – Even if it is just in your backyard. Set up a tent, roast marshmallows and enjoy being outside!

Go on a Picnics – Take a pizza, or pack a lunch. Go to your families favorite picnic area!

Museum and Zoo Free Days – Most museums and zoos have a free day a couple times a year. Find out when they are and go!

Family Reading Time – We love reading books together all summer. Here are some of my all time favorite book I have read aloud with my kids.

Do a Puzzle – Get a big puzzle, and some yummy snacks and spend a hot afternoon inside putting it together.

Family Sports Day – Kids love it when you play sports with them. Let them each pick a sport and spend time playing each one!

Go to a Park – Splash parks are the best this time of year, but kids love any park, so just head out early in the day before it gets too hot.

Start a Collection – My boys have tons of collections, from rocks, to seashells. Help them start a collection and make something to keep it in.

Plant a Family Garden – Even if it is just in a pot. Kids find so much joy seeing a seed grow into a plant.

Look at Family Photos Albums – Pull out some old family albums, whether they are your own or your ancestors. Kids love to look at family pictures!

Build a Fort – There is nothing better than building a big fort in the living room, getting toys and playing in it all day long!

Set up a Lemonade Stand – Lemonade or Kool-Aid doesn’t cost very much. Get a table, a pitcher of lemonade and cups and let the kids sell it to people as they drive or walk by.

Draw or Paint Pictures – Give each kid a sketch book and head outside and let them draw or paint a picture of something they love outside.

Float Boats Down a Stream – Make or buy paper or plastic boats. Find a stream near you and let the kids float their boats down the stream.

Write Letters to Family – If you have family that lives far away, write letters to them. Everyone loves to get good old fashion mail!

Go Hiking – Find a hike fitting for your family in your area.

Go on a Family Bike Ride – We love loading up all our bikes in our truck and finding a great bike path for us to venture out on.

Have a Family Dance Party – Turn on some music and just dance! You will be laughing in seconds, and the kids will think you are super cool!

Go to a Library Story Time – You might not find time to go to story time during the school year, summer is a great time to take your little ones.

Learn to use a Compass – Kids love to learn to use compasses or GPS systems. Go geocaching or hide a treasure somewhere with directions to find it using a compass.

Go Swimming in a lake, pond or river – It’s a blast, the kids will love it! Make sure to have fun and be safe!

Learn Some Sign Language – Teach the kids their alphabet or other words in sign langage!

Go Bird Watching – Look up birds in your area. Print a picture of them and get outside and go find them!

Make Food Together – Kids love being in the kitchen with you. Find a kid friendly recipe and make it with them.

Take a Treat to Your Neighbors – What neighbor doesn’t love yummy treats. Think of someone in need or who needs a little sunshine in their life and go visit them with a treat in hand!

Write a Story Together – Get a paper and a pencil out and go around in a circle writing a family story.

Go Fishing – Kids fish free and love to go.

Go On a Picture Scavenger Hunt – Come up with a fun list of things to take pictures of, get an older camera if you have one and let the kids find and take the pictures.

Play Frisbee – Kids love to throw a frisbee once they learn how. Get a good frisbee, find an open field and teach them how to catch and throw a frisbee.

Do Yard Work – Your kids might not think this is fun at first, but once you are all outside working together your kids will love being outside with you making your yard look nicer.

Play Outdoor Yard Games – We love badminton and croquet!

Wash the Car – Get rags, sponges and a big bucket of soapy water and let the kids help you wash the car, hose them and the car off when finished!

Have an Etiquette Night – Set up a fancy meal for your family, teach them manners and good etiquette.

Blow Bubbles – Give everyone their own bubbles and have a fun time outside blowing bubbles.

Have a Water Party – Set up a kid pool, water guns and a slip’n slide and have a water party in the backyard.

Have a Family Talent Show – Let the kids share whatever talents they want to, whether it’s playing the piano, or singing a silly song!

Kendra is a stay at home mom with 5 kids, she home schools her kids, and loves to have fun as a family. She has a passion for fitness and finances and loves to be in the kitchen. She also loves reviewing products and sharing it on her blog. She loves learning every day as she takes on this wonderful adventure of being a wife and mom. She hopes to share some of her knowledge, love and excitement of these aspect of home life with others! To check out her posts that include family fun, food, products she loves, printables, fitness and more visit her at The Things I Love Most or follow here on Facebook or Instagram.

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If your kids watch the Kinder Surprise Egg videos on YouTube (and beg for them non-stop) you will love today’s post!

Have you seen (or heard in the background) the YouTube videos for Kinder Surprise Eggs? If you have a preschooler (or toddler) who steals your phone to watch YouTube its inevitable that you have. Apparently they are hugely popular everywhere in the world, other than in the US. They are banned here because of the choking hazard. What they are are plastic eggs with popular toys inside (Disney, Hello Kitty, Bubble Guppies, Barbie) covered in chocolate. I don’t know if there is subliminal messaging played in the music for the videos or what; but my boys LOVE watching those videos!

I don’t mind if they watch the occasional YouTube video, but the problem comes when they start asking for things that I can’t (or won’t) get them. The surprise eggs fall in the can’t category. I did look into and considered ordering some from overseas, but I am not paying almost $3 for a chocolate covered toy egg plus shipping to get it here; no way José! But I don’t like disappointing my boys either so I started thinking how could I make these eggs for them.

As I watched the videos I realized they don’t really focus much on the chocolate, in fact they just toss it aside, so I knew that my boys would be happy with just toys in an egg. I kept our Easter eggs from last year (I’m a hoarder I know) and they have so many little characters we have collected over the years that they never play with I knew it would be like getting a new toy. To make it more like they were unwrapping the eggs I taped them shut with some washi tape.

To say they loved them would be an understatement. They were ecstatic opening up each egg and seeing their “new toys”. The first few times I made them (and I have made them almost every day for the last few weeks) I just put the toys in but as I was going through our cabinets one day I found some Halloween candy that was forgotten so I included M&Ms in them a few times; that was an even bigger hit! So if you have little ones, even if they haven’t seen the Kinder Egg YouTube Videos, surprise them one day with a batch of these. You will be the coolest mom ever!

Materials:

Plastic Eggs (I used leftover Easter eggs)

Small toys (small enough to fit inside eggs) If you don’t have any check out the Dollar Store or the Dollar Spot at Target

Washi Tape

M&M’s or other candy (optional)

Directions:

Put toys and candy in eggs and seal eggs with washi tape.

Do your kids watch YouTube? What videos do they watch over and over again?

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Is one of your goals for 2015 to stay on a budget? It’s one of mine and I’ve found the easiest way to stay on track is by meal planning. I like to plan ahead for two weeks for a few resasons. One- It gives us more variety when it comes to dinner choices. And two, and the biggest reason, it keeps me out of the stores. If I only go shopping once every two weeks I’m only half as likely to buy all those extras that somehow found their way into the cart. I had the luxury yesterday of going grocery shopping by myself and it was such a nice little break. AND I was able to stay under budget without little hands grabbing every sweet treat they could reach.

Another thing I like to do before I got to the store is plan out about how much I’m going to spend. I know what our monthly budget is for food and I break that up into four trips; two to the grocery store and two to Costco. I have a pretty good idea about what things cost so as I’m planning my meals and making my list I add things up and have a close guess to what the trip will cost. For this trip I budgeted $75 and spent a little under $74; not too bad for two weeks worth of food. Check out what we’ll be eating the next two weeks below.

Breakfast:

Eggs & Toast

Oatmeal

Pancakes

Cereal

Lunch:

Hot Pockets

Corndogs

Chicken Nuggets

Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Quesadillas

Leftovers

Snacks:

Smoothies

Fruit

Popcorn

Fruit Snacks

Pretzels

Nachos

Dinner:

Burgers with fries and zucchini

Cranberry chicken with rice and green beans

Brown sugar glazed pork chops with fries and carrots

Southwest chicken salad

Tortellini and spinach soup

One pot tomato basil pasta

Honey sesame chicken with rice and carrots

Asian lemon chicken tenders with fries and zucchini

Tortellini bean soup

(Baked) fried chicken with mashed potatoes and zucchini

I’m trying out several new recipes I’ve been putting together over the last few weeks so you’ll be seeing a lot of this list on the blog the next few weeks. And to help you with meal planning and keeping to your budget I have created a FREE meal plan printable for you to use to plan your meals. Take your pick of colors!

I’m Sydney, the creator here at Tastefully Frugal. I’m a mom to two crazy little boys and one little princess and married to the best guy around. My goal is to help you do more with the money you have. From recipes to meal plans, crafts to organization tips and more!